Blog #4: SAMR
Hello again,
I hope everyone is doing well...the end of these hectic 4-week-4-credit classes is in sight! We are so close to being finished. Now for my thoughts on SAMR! I remember Dr. Wang briefly talking about SAMR in one of our methods classes, but It wasn't clear to me what it was until now. The articles, examples, and charts that ChatGPT created about SAMR were very helpful and now I have a clear understanding of what SAMR is and why it matters. SAMR helps teachers intentionally integrate technology into their instruction. I agree with the critique that Paul Emerich France had about SAMR in his article, "What the SAMR Model May be Missing". French asserted that although SAMR sets a good foundation, it's not enough to help teachers intentionally incorporate technology into their classrooms. I think this is why frameworks like TLC are also important to consider. TLC helps to get more intentional and specific about what tools to incorporate and why by including teaching and collaboration. TLC breaks down the sections into smaller subsections (ex; the teaching category being broken up into planning, instructing, and assessing) which also helps get more intentional about technology integration.
SAMR can help me integrate technology with intention by providing a clear framework to reflect on. I could even set this framework down by my lesson plans and consider where technology could be included to enhance student learning. It can also help me to align technology with learning goals as I consider each level of the framework and ask myself, "can this technology improve and/or transform student learning?". SAMR can help me reimagine and get creative about how students demonstrate their learning. Ultimately, this framework will help with decision-making when it comes to integrating technology and can be used alongside other frameworks like TLC to help me be intentional. I hope to integrate all levels of SAMR in the future. Most of the levels are already a part of students school experience- students type instead of writing on google docs, they use Canva and various other tools for presentations, they are assessed with online surveys and Kahoots or Blookets. I would like to build upon these commonly used tools and consider how I can redefine assignments with technology.
The articles, analogies, and interactions with ChatGPT that were assigned in this module helped me to understand what SAMR is and how I can use it to be intentional with technology integration. There were several analogies I saw that really helped me to understand how technology develops as it moves down the SAMR scale. I love to make coffee, so the analogy I included below resonated with me. Machines like kurig and nespresso are the ultimate "redefinition" of household coffee devices. 😊
Thanks for reading!
Hi Hannah,
ReplyDeleteWonderful post as usual. I also found the use of ChatGPT very helpful when trying to fully understand SAMR, Chat respond specifically in the context of middle school science. I have not engaged with AI in a conversation like this before, have you every used AI like that before?
Thanks Jon!
DeleteI have engaged more with AI in the past few weeks than I have at any other point of my life and it has been so interesting! Sometimes I am blown away by what it can do. I also hadn't engaged with AI in a conversation like that before but now I probably will more often. It seems like a good way to generate some ideas.
Hannah-
ReplyDeleteThese 4-week-4-credit classes are not for the faint-hearted! I hope this week has been treating you well so far. Your idea about keeping the SAMR framework next to your lesson plans is a good one—I might borrow that! Was there a lesson from student teaching where you think using the SAMR model could have helped you plan or rethink the tech you used?
Hi Isabelle,
DeleteThanks for your comment! I think the SAMR model could have helped with most of the lessons I taught during a Shakespeare unit. I could have used more technology to help students work through the play and demonstrate their thinking. As far as a specific lesson- I might have used a padlet during a matching quote to character activity we did. During the activity students had to check off answers with me before moving on which got chaotic at one point. Padlet would allow me to create a board for each team and have them submit answers on there to get checked off which would run a lot smoother.
Hannah, I really enjoyed reading your reflection! Your idea of keeping the SAMR framework next to your lesson plans as a guide is such an innovative and practical strategy—it really shows how committed you are to intentional tech integration. I also appreciate how you brought in TLC as a complementary framework; breaking things down into planning, instructing, and assessing makes it feel much more actionable. And your coffee analogy? I love it! I have been definitely indulging in iced brew and Americanos the past weeks to keep up with the coursework. Which part of TLC do you think will be the most challenging or exciting for you to implement alongside SAMR in your future classroom?
ReplyDeleteHi Veronica,
DeleteThanks for your comment! I have also been indulging in bit more coffee than usual this last week haha. The most exciting component of TLC to implement alongside SAMR would be either learning or collaboration. I think technology has profound ways of changing how students collaborate with one another which is pretty cool.
Hi Hannah,
ReplyDeleteYour mention of how students are already using tools like Canva, Kahoot, and Google Docs got me thinking about how often students engage with tech in ways we might overlook as meaningful. Sometimes what feels "basic" is actually a big shift in how they access and express learning. It’s exciting to think about how teachers can meet students where they are and guide them toward even more creative possibilities. What literary topic(s) would be your first pick(s) for using SAMR with?
Hi Jess,
DeleteYes! I agree- your comment about technology we might see as "basic" being transformative to learning reminds me of when we were prompted to ask ChatGPT all the questions about SAMR and It said something about how one level of SAMR is not necessarily "better" than another but rather just different tools for different purposes. I think my favorite literary topic to begin using SAMR with would probably be analysis of theme- having students use technology to express their understanding of themes in a text. Maybe making an infographic, song, or video that represents a specific theme.
Hi Hannah!
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a really good point about how students are already using tools like Google Docs and Canva, so the SAMR model is already in full effect in that regard. Heck, I've even used tools like Kahoot, and my students knew how to work it better than I ever could. I've been learning that students are so used to technology, so much so that I'm beginning to wonder if some of the "S" an "A" implementations have become the base level these days... That makes me sound very old haha.
Also, your graphic makes me want coffee now!
Hi BJ,
DeleteThanks for your comment! I think you're on to something when it comes to the "S" and "A" components of SAMR being the base level these days. I almost wonder if as technology develops, methods of implementing technology will have to change as well. Interesting thought!